Top > World > 2005 > December > 2005-12-28

Africa Worries Over Possible New War

On the surface, the reasons for rising tensions between the African nation of Ethiopia and its tiny neighbor, Eritrea, may seem trivial. The two are on the verge of restarting the bloodiest interstate war in Africa in recent memory, ostensibly over a border town called Badme - a desert outpost with just 5,000 people.

In all, how Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions are resolved "is going to define Ethiopia`s role in the region" - and, to a large extent, the region`s future, says Matt Bryden of the International Crisis Group in Pretoria, South Africa. The growing focus by the United Nations and others on preventing war highlights the importance of the conflict.

Both countries failed to comply with a Nov. 23 Security Council resolution that gave 30 days for: Ethiopia to begin work to demarcate its border in compliance with a 2002 decision by a UN-sponsored Boundary Commission, Eritrea to lift restrictions on the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and both countries failed to pull back troops on the border to their December 2004 levels.